Feared dead: The wife of Chinese former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei fears her husband has been killed

The distraught wife of the disappeared former Interpol head has hit out at officials she described as 'cruel', in a hard hitting rebuke of Beijing.

Meng Hongwei disappeared on September 25 - the day he travelled to his native China from France.

Grace Meng unleashed the emotional tirade against Beijing in an interview with the BBC.

'I'm not sure he is alive,' Ms Meng said. 'They are cruel. They are dirty... I think it is political persecution.'

The Chinese government have accused Mr Hongwei of accepting bribes, and said his detention is part of a far-reaching anti corruption drive.

Mr Hongwei officially resigned as head of the international police organisation, which is based in France, on October 7 - the first time Beijing let on that he was in their custody.

Ms Meng has claimed that since her husband disappeared she has received a threatening phone call, and now fears for her own life. She was told there were 'two teams' to target her 'in France' - with French police now providing her with armed protection.

Ms Meng tells the press of her travails, while concealing her identity in fear for her safety

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'I tell (our children) daddy is on a long business trip,' said a distraught Ms Meng, in her first interview with British press, in which she concealed her face and identity for her own safety.

A source familiar with the investigation said the working assumption was that the 64-year-old, Mr Hongwei had antagonised Chinese authorities. With suggestions that his links to fellow fallen former official Zhou Yongkang were behind his mysterious detention.

Beijing confirmed that a new government body, the National Supervisory Commission was investigating Mr Hongwei - who is also a Chinese government Vice-Minister for security - for corruption. The agency can hold suspects captive for six-months without charge.

Meng Hongwei was the first Chinese head of international anti-crime organisation, Interpol

Mr Hongwei is only the latest high-profile Chinese citizen to disappear, accused of corruption. X-Men superstar, Ms Fan Bingbing went quiet on social media in May - before authorities accused her of tax avoidance.

The star was only seen for the first time since May earlier this week - after making an extraordinary public confession on Chinese social media site Weibo.

'I've been suffering unprecedented pain recently. I'm so ashamed of what I've done. Here, I sincerely apologise to everyone' she wrote to her 62 million followers.

Star actress Fan Bingbing is seen (left) this week for the first time in public since disappearing in May and being accused of tax avoidance